Do you use prong collars in board and train?

Two studies are worth knowing. At the University of Wisconsin, Pauli and colleagues measured how hard 26 dogs pulled, then applied matching force through a collar or a harness: pressure inside the eye rose significantly with the collar and not with the harness, and they advised a harness for dogs with glaucoma or thin corneas. In 2020, Carter and colleagues tested seven collars and a slip lead on a model neck and found that none kept pressure low enough to rule out injury risk when the lead was pulled.

Harnesses have trade-offs of their own. A 2019 Royal Veterinary College study of nine dogs on a treadmill found that both harness types it tested generally reduced shoulder extension compared with walking without one. The sensible reading is that the skill matters more than the gear: a dog that walks on a loose leash puts little force through anything. That is why leash skills are on the Foundation list, and why the go-home lesson covers fit as well as handling.

Owners often fear their dog will drag them down the street the moment the prong comes off. It may pull more at first, because the collar was suppressing the pull rather than teaching an alternative. The stay builds the alternative: the position by your leg pays, a tight leash stops forward movement, and distractions are added one at a time. Advanced, the two-week stay, adds outings and distraction proofing for dogs whose pulling returns outside.

Plan the first walks home for easy ground, such as your own street at a quiet hour, before downtown Gloucester on a busy Saturday. Rockport asks that dogs be on a leash or under direct voice control, so a reliable loose leash earns its keep there. If pulling toward other dogs is really reactivity, the consult may point to React Less, Relax More, 8 weeks and 16 sessions, before any stay. Our board and train page describes both programs.